Check.



APPL! i. F. SHUEMAKER.

CHECK.

CANON FILED MAY 3. T916.

Patented May 8, 19H'.

JGHJ 35.". SHOEMAKER, F DES MOINES, IO.

CHECK..

Application filed Tf'ayy, 1916.

7b H7! whom 'it may conferir Be it known that l, Jorim' F. Snonvmirnn, acitizen of the United States, and resident of Des Moines, in the countyof Polk and State or' iowa. have invented a certain new and usefulCheck, of which the following is a specification.

My inrention relates to bank checks, drafts and other writteninstruments representing financial transactions.

The object of my invention is to provide a bank check or the like otcomparatively simple construction, so constructed and having suchcharacters thereon as to aord a maximum protection to the maker ot theinstrument against raising the amount thereof.

A further object is to provide a 'combined check and stub so arranged asto afford maximum protection` and also maximum information to the makerof the check after the check has been detached.

Still @further object is to provide a iank check arid stub provided withindicating characters so arranged that the check may be conveniently cutfrom the stub on such lines that both the check and the stub will, afterthe check hasbeen severed, indicate the maximum amount for which thecheck has been drawn. Y

A further object is to prow ide such a check havin;T columns or" figuresat the left end of the check and having a blank line for the name of thepayee and the words Pay to the order of, or, their equivalent adjacentto said columns of figures and to said blank line and having indicatingycharacters or a legend arranged'on the Jr'ace or" the check adjacent tothe columns ot' figures, and projecting into the body of the check aboveand below said words so that the check cannot be cut except with certainrelation to the ligures without leaving some legend or means indicatingthat the clieck is ol a par?Q ticular kind, and calling attention to thefact that it was not cut in such a way as to cause the figures toindicate the maximum amount for which the check was drawn.

lFltill a further object is to provide, in auch a check, in connectionwith the foregoing features. a diagonal line printed or perforated orboth, or indented, traversingr the parts of 'the check which areA to befilled in when the check is drawn.

My invention consists in the construction,

Speciication of Letters Patent.

Patented May 8, i932? serial no. 95,266.

arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, wherebythe objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully setlortln pointed out in my claim, and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which: i

Figure l shows a plan view of my limproved check with the stub attachedthereto, and

Fig. 2 shows a vertical, sectional, view taken o'n the line 2-2 of Fig.1.

ln the accompanying drawings, I have used the reference'numeral 10 toindicate generally the body of my improved check vto which is attachedintegrally a stub il preferably '-.vithout any perforated line betweenthem. A printed line 12 preferably scored, may be extended transverselyacross the body ot the paper on'the stub adjacent to the columns ofgures hereinafter described. 1

The check l0 Ahas the ordinary address and (latex/.line l2, the ordinaryline 13 to receive the name of the payee, the ordinary line it toreceiveMthe written amount of the check', thelinc Q2 tor the signatureof the maker or drawer, and ordinary indicating characters 1G toindicate the person or institution on which the check is drawn.

At the lett-hand end of the Check body is a plurality of vertical spacedlines 17, between which arranged in columns, are indicating charactersi8 arranged to show pro; gressively iircreasing sums.

The columns of said characters or numbers are arranged between each pairof lines 17.

The numbers of each column are Separated by indicating lines 1S) whichare pret'- erably inclined from their rear ends vad- Q jacent to thestub forwardly and slightly downwardly, clearly shown in the drawmf.

The printed and depressed line l2 is preferably spaced to the leftslightly from the left-hand vertical line 17.

(hi the up'per part of the stub portion 1l is a plurality of inclinedlines' 2O on which the maker of the check may Write the facts concerninga transaction performed with the check. Un the lower part of the stubare the ordinary indicating `characters and blank spaces for furtherrecording the transaction.

Extending diagonally across the check igea body is a line of indicatingcharacters 23 which intersect the lines 13, 14, and 2% and is printedand either depressed or perforated and contains some suitable warning,such for instance as Not good for more than largest amount shown infigures on left margin, void if margin detached.

At the left end of the line 13 beginning immediately adjacent to theright-hand columns of figures 18 are the words Pay to or otherequivalent. These words may be used in connection `with the words Orderof or the word Bearer or other words a may be desired.

Parallel lines 24 are arranged above and below the Words Pay to theorder of7 and extend from the right-hand line 17 toward the right for ashort distance.

Inclined lines 24printeld, perforated or indented may be used extendingfrom the right-hand ends of the respective lines 24 to the upper andlower ends respectively of the right-hand line 17.

Certain indicating words for example, lrotectu check are printed` andpreferably"depressed or perforated on;` inclined lilies between theright-hand en/ils of the lilies 24 and the lower and upper endsrespectively ot' the right-hand line 17, as clearlyv shown in Fig. 1.

In the given instance the word Protectu is the trade-mark of the companyputting out checks like the subject of this application. That companyhas done extens sive business, so that the words Protectu check havecome to have a definite meaning to bankers and the like. Other wordshaving the proper suggestion to the banker could be used. It will beseen that the words Pay to and the words Protectu check7 are so arrangedthat the check could not be cut on the right side of the righthand line17 or on said line without `cutting -some of said words, or leaving thewords Protectu checkt?, thereby affording a suspicious appearance tocatch the eye of the person handling the check, or leaving the wordswhich indicate that the check is of a special type and has not been madein the proper way. That is to say, they fea-turcs above described aresuch that the check can-l not be severed from the stub without kleavin gthe check in such condition as to put the cashier 011 guard.

It will be seen vthat the name of the payee,` as well as the amount forwhich the check is drawn and the name of the maker are written throughthe warning line 23.

The check is designed to be used in connection with a suitable cutter,so that the left-hand part"l of the check may be cut on the lines 17 and19, so that the maximum amount .shown by the ligures at the left-A handend of the check Will indicate the maximum amountrfor which the cheek isJ drawn. In this connection it Will be noted thatthe remaining vfiguresor numbers arranged in the columns are left permanently and callattention to the fact thatl/if then check has been severed on such line4as to leave oli" all of the numbers 18, the check has not been properlydrawn or has been tampered with. The warning line may bev depressed orperforated, and printed,.to prevent its removal. However, if onlyprinted -it would be very difficult to properly and cleanly remove thewarning line on account of the fact that itis Written through the lines13 and 14 and 22. It will be seen that additional protection is afordedso that if the warning line should be entirely removed it would beimpossible to cut the `check on the right-hand side of the'columnsofligures without cutting through the words Pay to and the words Protectucheck or without cutting through the main body of the check and leavingthe check -in such form as to indicate that the check has beenmutilated.

the words Protectu check or some other suitable words is very important.The words Protectu check or some other suitable words may be depressedor perforated so that it is impossible to removelthem.

It willbe noted that in a check of this kind, having the columns offigures, it' is necessary to make the check longer than the ordinarycheck or to shorten the stub.. In this case the stub is shortened byinclining the lines 20, as shown, be Kshorter from left to right, thanwould otherwise be the case.

It thus occurs that the combined chgck .and stub are no longer than inany other form thereof. i

A check of this Akind afordva'maximum protection against being tamperedwith by raising the amount vfor which the check is drawn or otherwise.

In the first place a warning line and the words Protectu check or someequivalent thereof are readily visible to the cashier or other personreceiving or handling the check and it would be dilicult to remove theWarning line, even if printed, for the reason that it would be necessaryin order to remove the warning line, to remove a portion of the name ofthe payee, the amount for which the check is drawn and the name of themaker and to thereafter restore those portions.

It the Warningl line is not removed, then the maker of the check isprotect/ed against 95 The use of the columns of figures 'with so thatthe stub Will A .simple and practical.

paying any larger amount than that shown by the columns of figures atthe left-hand margin 'of the check. Even if the warning line is removedand the check is out.at the right of the columns ot' ligures, the wordsProtectu check would remain and suggest that the check was ot' aparticular type and had been mutilated after having been in; le.

It is impossible to eut the check on such a line as to omit the wordsProtectu check without cutting through the Words Pay to.

Attention is called to the fact that protection is secured and yet onecut only is necessary in severing the check.

The cashier may simply glance at the numbers on the left-hand margin tocheck the amount written in.

Vhile I have described a check in illustrating my invention it should beunderstood that the protective feature may be used with other'instruments such as drafts, notes, receipts, and the like, and it is myintention to cover such instruments when embodying my invention.

It may be understood that for the purpose of my invention theperforation of the Warnv ing line and the Words Protectu check or anyother words having the same function for suggesting to the mind of theperson who handles the check that the cheek belongs to a particular typeis for the purpose of preventing` the removal of the Warning line or theWords Protectu check and the same purpose may be accomplished by indenti'ng the warning line or the Words Protectu check. Thus, for mypurpose perforation or indentation are equivalent constructions and itis my intention to use the words )erforation7 or erforated in thefollowing claim to cover the indentation of the characters or letterswhich accomplish The check is exactly the same purpose as perforatingthem. Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement ofthe parts of -my improved check without departing :from

tical line at the right side ol' each column,

inclined lilies arranged between the successive sums of each column,said check having` a body portion on one side of said columns and a stubportion on the other side thereof, said body portion having blank linesto receive the name of the payee, the name of the maker and .the amountfor which the check is drawn, a Warning line extended diagonally acrosssaid blank lines and having characters to indicate that the checkis notgood for more than the largest amount shown in the figures on themargin, said check having the words Pay 'to the order of or theirequivalent arranged adjacent to said columns and adjacent to one end ofthe blank line for the name of the payee, and means for furtherindicating the peculiar nature of the check e\tendinor into the body ofthe check from said co umns above and below said last mentioned Words,

whereby it is made necessary to sever the check body from the stub onlines having certain relations to said figures in order to use the checkand whereby it is made impossible to raise the check.

Des Moines, loiva, April 2G, i916.

` JHN F. SHOEMAKER.

